Child support · Minnesota
Minnesota child support calculator
Minnesota uses the income-shares model with a parenting-expense adjustment: both parents’ monthly income is combined, the basic obligation is read from the 518A.35 table, and each parent’s overnights are folded in by the 518A.36 formula that decides who pays and how much. This calculator applies Minn. Stat. 518A and shows every step.
Calculate guideline support
Enter both parents’ monthly income (PICS) and Parent A’s annual overnights with the children. Add work-related child care and the children’s health-insurance premium if any. The calculator decides who pays.
Method & source
Show the work Step-by-step calculation
The guideline table
The basic obligation comes from the guideline table in § 518A.35 — indexed by combined monthly parental income (up to $20,000) and the number of joint children (one to six). For combined income above $20,000, the presumed obligation is the same as at $20,000, though the court may set more under § 518A.43.
Minn. Stat. § 518A.35, subd. 2.
The parenting-expense adjustment
This is what makes Minnesota distinctive. Under § 518A.36, each parent’s approximate annual overnights are raised to the power of three, then combined with each parent’s share of the basic obligation in a single formula that both identifies the obligor and sets the amount. As a parent’s parenting time rises, their support falls — and if the sign of the result flips, so does the direction of payment. If parenting time and income are both equal, no basic support is paid unless the court finds the children’s expenses are not shared equally (subd. 3).
Minn. Stat. § 518A.36, subd. 2–3.
A number with the method attached is the honest form of the same figure.
Child care and medical support
On top of basic support, Minnesota adds work-related child care (§ 518A.40) and medical support — the children’s health-insurance premium and unreimbursed medical costs (§ 518A.41) — each divided between the parents in proportion to their incomes. This calculator adds the paying parent’s income-share of the child-care and health-insurance amounts you enter; enter them as monthly figures.
Minn. Stat. §§ 518A.40, 518A.41.
What this calculator does not do
It combines both parents’ PICS, reads the 518A.35 table, applies the 518A.36 parenting-expense adjustment, and adds the payer’s share of child care and health insurance. It does not compute PICS from your pay stubs (deductions for other support, etc.), apply the self-support-reserve minimum, or run a court deviation. For a figure you can file, use the Minnesota online child support calculator or consult an attorney.
Common questions
How is child support calculated in Minnesota?
Combine both parents’ monthly income (PICS), read the basic obligation from the 518A.35 table, find each parent’s proportionate share, and apply the 518A.36 parenting-expense adjustment based on overnights to decide who pays and how much.
What is the parenting-expense adjustment?
Under 518A.36, each parent’s annual overnights are cubed and combined with their share of the basic obligation in a formula that sets both the obligor and the amount. More parenting time means less support.
What is the income cap?
The table runs to $20,000 of combined monthly parental income; above that the presumed amount is the same as at $20,000 (more may be justified under 518A.43).
Does equal time mean no support?
Only if incomes are also equal. With equal time and equal income, no basic support is paid unless the court finds expenses aren’t shared equally.
Is child support taxable in Minnesota?
No — federally it’s not taxable to the recipient or deductible by the payer, the same in Minnesota as everywhere.
Sources
- Minn. Stat. § 518A.35, subd. 2 — the guideline used in child support determinations: basic support table indexed by combined monthly parental income (up to $20,000) and one to six joint children. All 187 income brackets parsed from the official statute text: 518A.35.
- Minn. Stat. § 518A.36 — parenting expense adjustment: each parent’s annual overnights cubed, combined with each parent’s share of the basic obligation, to determine the obligor and the basic support amount; subd. 3 (equal time and equal income). 518A.36.
- Minn. Stat. § 518A.34 (computation), § 518A.40 (child care) and § 518A.41 (medical support); Minnesota DHS Child Support: mn.gov/dhs.
Table and formula verified against Minn. Stat. 518A.35–.36 — July 2026 · educational, not legal advice